Caught in a Free State

Caught in a Free State
Genre	Drama series
Written by	Brian Lynch
Directed by	Peter Ormrod
Composer(s)	Seóirse Bodley
Country of origin	Ireland
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	4
Distributor	RTÉ
Release
Original network	RTÉ One
Original release	1983

Caught in a Free State was a dramatised television series made by RTÉ in 1983. This four-part series was about German spies in neutral Ireland during World War II, known in Ireland as "The Emergency".

The series was written by Brian Lynch, with music by Seóirse Bodley and directed by Peter Ormrod. The series was the winner of the best drama award at the Banff World Television Festival in Canada and also won a Jacob's Award in Ireland.

Parts of the dialogue were recorded in German with English subtitles, partly in the hope of a sale of the series to a German television station.

The spies are frequently depicted as out of touch with the realities of Irish life. They are also often depicted as individuals highly unsuited for espionage. At times, the absurdities take on a comic dimension - such as in the arrest of Henry Obed, an Indian working for Abwehr. It is notable that the German plans for Operation Green (the intended invasion of Ireland) also included a considerable amount of outdated information.

Whilst dramatised (and some names have been changed, notably that of Schütz to "Schultz") the plots in Caught in a Free State are based on actual events and persons. The anachronistic reference to "Free State" is deliberate as the Irish Free State had been superseded by the new Constitution of Ireland of 1937, which is a recurring theme. Both Günther Schütz and Dan Bryan were still alive during the filming (in 1983), hence the change of names.

It was also broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 in April 1984, and was repeated in July 1986.

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